Waste Elimination & Reduction
As Target seeks to provide product options that both reduce waste and are affordable, we recognize the need to address both rising costs and environmental impacts of waste throughout our value chain.
As we progress in our Target Forward journey toward innovating to eliminate waste, we will address our complete value chain by working upstream with our suppliers and, improving our own operational waste.
We take several steps to maximize diversion of waste from landfill and leverage waste audit insights to identify the most impactful diversion opportunities. Our teams work together to improve our packaging designs using fewer components; minimize the volume of trash we produce; and reuse, donate or recycle more materials.
By 2030, Target plans to achieve zero waste to landfill in U.S. operations. The zero-waste threshold is established by the Zero Waste International Alliance to conserve resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse and recovery of products, packaging and materials without burning and with no discharges to land, water or air that threaten the environment or human health. The threshold to be considered “zero waste” is normally set at a minimum of 90% diversion rate.
Foundations we've laid:
In 2023, we diverted 85% of operational waste and 60% of construction waste from landfill.
Target received our first official zero waste certified location designation from the TRUE Certification for our Hawaii Flow Center in 2022.
We achieved our goal to reduce operational food waste by 50% across our stores, supply chain facilities and headquarters from a 2017 baseline year.
We endeavor to make recycling simpler and more convenient for our guests with select take-back programs. We have held car seat trade-in events each year since 2016.
Supply Chain
Our suppliers play an integral role in helping Target achieve our waste reduction, recycling and reuse program goals. This effort continues throughout our engagement with additional training to confirm Target’s expectations are understood and met. We leverage a broad network of suppliers to optimize the reuse, recycling, donation and composting streams to continue to increase diversion capabilities on an annual basis.
As part of our continued efforts to eliminate waste across our value chain, Target is working to have 50% of owned brand apparel, footwear, home and hardlines suppliers by spend achieve zero manufacturing waste to landfill (ZMWL) by 2025.
Work toward our ambition for key suppliers to achieve this goal is already underway in owned brand footwear. In 2019 and 2020, we co-created the Shoe Waste Factory program with the Footwear Distributors & Retailers of America to drive continuous improvement in establishing waste management systems and divert waste from landfill. In 2023, 70% of our owned brand footwear suppliers by volume engaged in our ZMWL program, with participating suppliers actively working to decrease manufacturing waste destined for landfills. We will continue to work with participating factories to support their ongoing success, look to add additional factories to the program in the future and explore ways to use the footwear model to reduce waste across other owned brand categories.
We are also investing in Accelerating Circularity U.S. trials, which aim to incorporate post-consumer recycled textiles into new garments. By investing in Accelerating Circularity, we have been able to gain insights into the current gaps in the collection, sortation and preprocessing of textile waste and the innovation needed to spin recycled fibers into yarn. Through this collaboration, we launched a Universal Thread Earth Day collection in April 2024, using either all-recycled cotton scraps from manufacturing or a combination of cotton scraps and post-consumer recycled cotton – becoming our first owned brand products to use recycled fibers from post-consumer garments and textiles.
We will continue to make every effort and drive collaboration in the industry to build a zero-waste supply chain, by:
Partnering with industry peers and associations to scale up our ZMWL program.
Developing best practices to reach zero waste by category and promote industry adoption.
Elevating awareness of zero waste management in the supply chain by providing training on zero waste strategies and procedures.
Increasing waste data transparency and traceable rate.
Driving demand for recycling and reuse materials and services.
Operations
We're designing new ways to make our business and supply chain more sustainable from beginning to end, and that includes reducing waste across our operations. When we can’t eliminate waste, we try to divert it from landfill. Our landfill diversion programs span across our construction and operational waste, and in FY2023, 85% of operational waste and 60% of construction waste was diverted from retail operations.
85%
of operational waste
In FY2023, 85% of operational waste and 60% of construction waste was diverted from retail operations.
Food waste
Target has achieved our goal to reduce operational food waste by 50% by 2025 from a 2017 baseline year1, maintaining an approximate 51% decrease in food waste against our 2017 baseline for two years in a row and further contributing to our larger zero waste goal. Our efforts to achieve this goal take many forms, including improved food forecasting, recycling and composting, establishing a food waste footprint and food donation programs. Organics recycling or composting programs are currently available at 1,680 of our facilities (across stores, headquarters and supply chain facilities). In FY2023, we donated 154.8 million pounds of food, which is equivalent to 113 million meals.
Events and marketing
We apply sustainability principles to various guest-facing events and internal team meetings through the creation of bespoke plans. Vendors must adhere to sustainability guidelines outlined in our Standards of Vendor Engagement, with Target assigning resources and on-site experts to support them.
Since 2020, we have printed display signs in-store, allowing us to create only what we need and reducing waste. We have replaced most landfill-only foam core with recycled, recyclable corrugate and are now reviewing other plastic types, reducing virgin plastic use and ensuring what we do use can be recycled in-store or in partnership with the Waste Minimization team. Until 2021, our holiday containment bins were corrugate with a plastic front. Following a 2022 redesign, these bins are now 100% corrugate, eliminating the use of more than 61,700 lbs of plastic and making them compatible with in-store recycling processes. Additionally, the switch has resulted in a 25% materials cost saving.
Enhancements to our Rubix project management software have increased our ability to divert waste from landfill by improving the information we have on the materials we use. Signs and hardware made with non-sustainable materials can be eliminated or modified based on this information.
Responsible waste disposal
Additionally, Target requires multiple outside, third-party certifications that provide assurances in regard to material handling, eliminating export of electronic waste and the security of data.
We manage all potentially hazardous and nonhazardous items throughout the entire chain through Target’s Environmentally Sensitive Item Management (ESIM) program. ESIM is important for keeping our team, guests and communities safe. The ESIM program is designed to meet federal and state hazardous waste regulations and other environmentally sensitive materials requirements. We are making continued investments in waste audits to provide insights into where to prioritize future efforts.
Recycling
Since 2010, we have offered front-of-store recycling kiosks that give guests an easy way to recycle cans, glass, plastic bottles, plastic bags, ink cartridges and cell phones right in their local store. The goal of the program is to extend our company recycling efforts, and so far, the program has kept thousands of tons of recycled materials out of landfills.
Car Seat Trade-In Program
Target’s Car Seat Trade-in Event provides you an opportunity to get rid of your unwanted car seats in exchange for a 20% off coupon good towards a new car seat, car seat base, travel system or stroller, or select baby home gear. It’s one way we’re working together to achieve our Target Forward goal of being the market leader for creating and curating inclusive, sustainable brands and experiences by 2030.
Materials from the old car seats are recycled to create new products such as pallets and plastic buckets, construction materials and select Brightroom crates made from 30% PCR.
The next trade-in event is happening in stores in 2025.
3
million car seats recycled since 2016
45
million pounds of car seat materials recycled since 2016
Related articles
1 With the support of our partner Anthesis, we established our food waste footprint and baseline year (2017), utilizing the World Resources Institute (WRI) Food Loss & Waste Protocol.